One Last Rambur’s Forktail

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Generally, I don’t like repeating my subjects too often. I also know that I’ve been featuring a lot of insects recently, including dragonflies and damselflies. It’s that time of year and my photography generally follows the available subjects, of course, but still, there can be too much of a good thing. So, I promise, this will be the last image of a Rambur’s Forktail that I feature for a while.

The other day I posted an image of an orange-red female. I wouldn’t post another image except that this one is so much better, in my opinion, than the other one.

I photographed her yesterday morning at Sweetwater Wetlands. As often seems to be the case with my nature photography, I went to the wetlands looking for something entirely different. What I was searching for was nowhere to be seen and after an hour of fruitless walking I headed for my car. At the last moment I passed the wetlands’ creek adjacent to the parking lot and saw her, perched on a reed. Imagine, a tiny insect, something that is about as thick as a sewing needle, and standing out so brightly from her background that I noticed her at a distance of 15 feet. I couldn’t resist.

As I said the other day, female Rambur’s Forktails are polymorphic, meaning that they come in a range of colors. I’ve seen other orange females before, but never anything as intensely colored as is this one. This little (about 1 1/2 inches long) damselfly looks as if she’s been dipped in orange neon.